Southwestern Men's Tennis played a double header this past weekend against the Texas Lutheran Bulldogs and St. Thomas Celts.
In the first match against the Texas Lutheran Bulldogs, the Pirates got a 2-1 lead after doubles, bringing the focus to singles. Sophomore and Team Captain Daniel Haley, fellow Sophomore Jared Burton, and Freshman Rylan Hastings all quickly got the next three points needed to win the match against the Bulldogs. Coach Porter praises Captain Daniel Haley's performance on court stating, "Daniel's energy on the top courts played a significant role and the guys feeding off of it and elevating their games". Coach Porter also states, "Rylan has been dialed into his singles matches today and yesterday and we really like what we are seeing out of him so far," showing much excitement for the young team.
Making his way into the lineup, Freshman Joseph Snyman had a great weekend, gaining a point in both singles and doubles for the Pirates. He fought impressively to win his first set, and Coach Porter's words on Snyman's performance was, "Joseph battled through a tough first set and found a way to squeak it out. He used that momentum to cruise in the second set." Snyman breezed through the second set of singles to gain that second point.
Freshman and All-American Ashton Ellis had an impressive battle against St. Thomas in singles at line four, winning the match 6-2, 6-4. Ellis kept his composure throughout the match and it paid off.
Sophomore and All-American Oscar Roy stepped up in singles at line three, obtaining a solid win for the Pirates, 6-1, 6-0. Roy's leadership was apparent throughout the weekend as he confidently won matches and cheered on his teammates.
In men's doubles, the team of Ashton Ellis and Oscar Roy continue to see success, winning their doubles match 8-2 in the line one doubles position. Ellis and Roy faced some adversity during the line one doubles match against St. Thomas. After getting down 3-5, the two had an impressive comeback to make the score 6-6 before unfortunately losing the match 7-8. The determination and resilience of the two All-Americans was evident as they fought until the very end.
The Pirates' men's tennis team performance has put them in a favorable position for the continuation of the Spring season. The Conference Tournament will be held here at Southwestern University on the Pirates' home courts, April 28-30.